Women urged to join pensions group if they feel aggrieved

Having read your article about the failure of a the Shropshire Council motion to support WASPI (Women Against State Pension Inequality) women, I am not surprised. The situation has become wholly political.

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I run a campaign group for 1950s women called ‘63 is the new 60’ and we have always been WASPI-free and non-party political. The Conservative-led council will have had instruction from Conservative MPs, the secretary of state and the pensions minister not to engage with ‘WASPI women’. The reason? Because the WASPI campaign, for all its merits of trying to gain publicity and change to unjust legislation, is asking for too much and is supported by Jeremy Corbyn, Labour and the unions.

It’s about time newspapers like your own supported the correct group – 1950s women – as there are many different campaign groups.

The APPG set up to oversee this problem now realises that it must represent all 1950s women and they are attempting two private members bills on this issue, if selected, in the autumn. But we all know the slow pace of government and one thing we women don’t have is time on our hands.

63 is the new 60 was voted through unanimously at the nearby Monmouthshire County Council because we recognise that our compromise deal of our state pensions at age 63 meets government half way.

By working longer, or not able to find a job over the age of 60, particularly in a rural area, our lack of being available for grandchildren, school pick-ups, elderly care of relatives and other social care matters is now having a huge impact on county council budgets. Counties are not responsible for pensions but they are responsible for social, education and elderly care. They too have had their budgets cut from Westminster and it is this route to central government that 63/60 is pressing.

Our 63/60 proposal is at government, the APPG and has been costed by the Parliamentary Library statistics office. Any Shropshire lady affected by this rapid and unfair state pensions legislation would be welcome to join our group. We are trying to operate in a strategic manner, rather than party political, to achieve our aims.